Undone

Following Wednesday’s emotional and life changing Main Stage worship must have been difficult for Thursday’s service but with Christian Rock Band Third Day and power house Speaker Efrem Smith in the house, the final Main Stage worship service was, without a doubt, a huge spiritual success.

Third Day, opened the last Main Stage worship service last night at the Thompson-Boling Arena. From the moment they took the stage, we knew we were in for an amazing night. Unlike any previous guest artist this week, Third Day asked everyone to lift our hands to the heavens and really sing to God, as we sang ‘God of wonders beyond our Galaxy, you are Holy. Holy’ Another awesome part of worship led by Third Day was when as lead singer, Mac Powell, sang ‘let your light shine’, the whole arena went dark and was illuminated by cell phone lights.

Thailand missionary, Randy Beavis then thanked everyone here at CHIC for all the love, support, hard work and effort that has gone into trying to heal the struggles of the people of Thailand. These efforts came in the form of prayers, sending three students to help hands-on, and the offering which also took place last night that resulted in a whopping $109,327 to be sent to Thailand. Randy shared that all of these efforts don’t have to end here at CHIC. In fact, Randy has organized three mission trips to Thailand within the next year that he hopes CHIC participants will take advantage of. Covenant World Relief has more information on these different mission trips.

Efrem Smith, Pastor of Sanctuary Covenant Church in Minnesota, delivered the message and what a message it was! With last night being the very last Main Stage service of CHIC, Efrem spoke on what happens next, and on our responsibilities in continuing the work of God. He began by stating two simple facts; first, we are all undone people, and secondly, we have been given UNLIMITED opportunities during this week to go back into our churches, community, and WORLD and be examples so that others might know God and be able to see, through us, how amazingly God showed up and showed out during CHIC.

Referencing the story of Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:4, where the Lord declares that before Jeremiah was even formed, he knew him and appointed him to be a prophet to the nations, Efrem explained that before we were even created, God DECLARED that our lives are purposeful. “You being here this week was an answer to someone’s prayer” Efrem said. “God knew your purpose. Your life is a declaration and God knows just how wonderful you are” he proclaimed.

Efrem advised CHIC of what needs to happen when we all return into the real world now that CHIC is over. “Don’t go home all religious. Don’t go home thinking that you’re better than everyone else because the truth of the matter is that you’re still undone” but the task is to follow the calling that God has for all of our lives to do the undone work in our communities.

To illustrate what ‘following the call to help the undone’ looks like, Efrem narrates the way that he became a follower of Christ. He was a sophomore in High School when a close friend, Joey, decided that he would follow God’s call and help the undone in his community. As a start to Joey’s journey, he began to ask Efrem to come to youth group and to church, but more importantly, he became a true friend to Efrem which all eventually led to Efrem’s coming to Christ. “If Joey had not followed God’s call, then I might not be standing here before you tonight” Efrem said.

“You aren’t going back alone” he reaffirmed. We don’t have to carry this weight of the world on our own. Efrem designated us as now being anointed, appointed and equipped to empower. We just have to have the courage to do it. Do you have the courage?

Efrem ended with a powerful story that a close friend shared with him about the zoo animal, the African Impala, which is a medium sized antelope that has the ability to jump 13 feet in the air and out 30 feet away. The story was of Efrem’s friend and son visiting a zoo where this Impala was featured. With this powerful animal being able to jump so high and so far, how is it possible to keep it caged up by a three foot wall?, asked the son. He later learned that without being able to see where he’s landing, the Impala won’t jump: the Impala doesn’t have faith. “DON’T LET A THREE FOOT WALL KEEP YOU FROM WHAT GOD HAS FOR YOU” Efrem yelled as he dared each and everyone of us to jump repeatedly. “I DARE you to jump. I Dare you to jump!!!!!!” Then, not only were students jumping on the main floor, the entire auditorium was jumping up and down. At that very moment, we weren’t jumping because of music or because of whatever other stuff we had going on. We were jumping as Christians, rejoicing at the goodness of God.

The CHIC 2009 worship band closed the service for the last time here in Knoxville singing the most popular worship songs for our last chance to worship with 5,500 other Christians who had just experienced a week of being undone. The benediction was read and streamers and confetti fell from the ceiling marking the end of week of transformation for some, and new beginnings for others. The whole arena was filled with worship, jumping up and down and yes, even body surfing.

This week you have been undone so that you can undo the undone work of the world.
-Judy Peterson

In fervent worship led by Israel Houghton and New Breed and the CHIC worship band, as well as the powerful preaching of Steven Furtick, it is undeniable that many students left Thompson-Boling Arena Tuesday night stirred within.

A video from Thailand was shown to open the evening. Unfortunately, schedules did not match Tuesday night for a live conversation with the students who are serving at CHIC via satellite. Following the video, three men, each one representing a church member, relative, or youth leader of Kerrick, MJ and Rachel, prayed with Judy Peterson for the team as they conclude their time in Thailand and for those here at CHIC.

Next up Israel Houghton and New Breed led CHIC-goers in worship. The arena often looked like an ocean of hands as students waved their arms and sang along. “God is not mad at you,” encouraged Houghton before leaving the stage, “but He’s madly in love with you.”

Steven Furtick, a 29 year-old pastor from Charlotte, N.C., focused his message on 1 Samuel 14:1-6. Prior to this passage, Jonathan greatly failed, causing Israel to suffer the consequences of his mistakes. Yet in chapter 14, Jonathan looked at it as a new day and did not allow his failure to hinder him. Instead, he advanced by faith.

As he and his young armor-bearer continued forward on a slippery and thorny passageway, Jonathan tells him, “Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” Referring to this as the “Perhaps Paradox”, Furtick centered his message around this concept.

Furtick said, “I want you to receive a promise from God that will carry you through every day of your life.”

“Your God is big. His plan for your life is bigger and better than you could ever ask or imagine,” Furtick said. “Your message tonight is I want you to know God’s promise is bigger than your perhaps,” he said. “There’s more to life than retiring, buying a boat and dying one day,” he said.

Furtick justified his claim by sharing a story from his own life. At the age of 16, he said, God gave him a vision that one day he would plant a church in a city. Furtick and his wife began to pursue this calling. “Suddenly we had seven families sold out to this audacious vision,” he said. Now, merely three and a half years later, God has grown this church to over 5,000 people. What they have seen Him do is far beyond anything they would have imagined when first setting out.

Furtick closed by praying Ephesians 3:20 for the students and encouraging them with the words, “May God exceed your wildest dreams.”

5,200 CHIC participants filled the University of Tennessee’s Thompson Boling Arena last night for the first Main Stage service of the week here at CHIC 2009.  Jumbo screens assisted in getting participants excited for the start of Main Stage as they counted down the minutes and seconds until 8:30 when the service began.  Aside from the awesome worship experience, led by Matt Lundgren and the CHIC band, one of the many highlights of the opening service was the emergence of two drummers from a wall of water.  YES a wall of water!!!  The wall was used as a projection screen for images and words to assist during worship. 

Following the worship experience, North Park Campus Pastor, Judy Peterson addressed the audience in a charge to be fully committed to, open to,  and receptive to all that CHIC has to offer.  She urged us all to use this week as a catalyst in undoing our thinking that CHIC is a one week experience that can only be applied back in our churches.  She invited us to see the whole world, and to share what we learn from this experience with the world.  

For the first time EVER, CHIC was able to send three students to Thailand to see first hand how just how much the Covenant World Relief Offering that is taking place here at CHIC will help the people of Thailand.  During last night’s Main Stage, another first in CHIC history was made as participants here in Knoxville were able to connect with the students in Thailand via satellite.  Read a summary of that conversation.   

Erwin McManus, pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles California, delivered the message on ‘undoing our dreams’.  He spoke of how each and every one of us were created with a specific purpose and how none of us are ‘ordinary’.  He juxtaposed this with the story of Moses’ birth in Acts 7:20 where it reads, “At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child.”  This was all to show that before we were born, we were all a part of God’s dream and before he ends our time here on earth, we need to live out his dream.  He also shared that many times we either dream too small or dream so big that we write the stories of our lives without God and that’s when our lives become to seem undone.  We have to have the courage and faith to trust God that he will meet us half way.  There are things in life that God calls us to do for ourselves hoping that we will have the faith and courage to do what it is he wants us to do.  Through a comedic antidote about participating as a stunt man, he conveyed to the audience that God blows up our obstacles for us and carries us so that it feels like we’re flying.  All this happens through becoming undone about the way we view our lives and dreams.  “Tonight may be a chance to become undone”, was his charge to the audience.

**If your dream becomes your life, would the world become a better place.**

View more photos from Sunday night’s Mainstage.

Two time Grammy, Stellar, AND Dove Award winner Israel Houghton has added one more stop on his worldwide tour; Knoxville, TN. That’s right, Israel Houghton and New Breed will appear at CHIC 2009. Houghton and New Breed’s music, has graced CHIC worship services for years and now we are so blessed to have him live and in the flesh!

From the New Breed Website…
Leader, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist ISRAEL HOUGHTON has seen his compositions become integral components for progressive now-generation churches. This Grammy & Dove Award winning recording artist, producer and songwriter challenges people all over the world to rise to a higher purpose. In addition, Israel also serves as a Worship Leader at Lakewood Church, with Pastor Joel Osteen in Houston, TX.

Judy Howard Peterson

From the North Park University website:

Judy Howard Peterson is the campus pastor for North Park University. She comes to this role after previously serving congregations in Madison, Wisconsin and Elgin, Illinois. Judy is passionate about communicating good news in everyday language and travels across the United States speaking to audiences about how to put feet to their faith. Her passion for walking it out took the form of walking across the United States for her internship toward her Master of Divinity degree at North Park Theological Seminary. While the walk across the United States is how Judy first received the name “walking pastor” it is her day to day desire to walk into the lives of others that continues to make the title well deserved. Judy is happily married to Jeff Peterson.

To read some of her thoughts, visit Pastor Judy’s blog.